The invention provides an optical switch having a pair of opposed optical arrays, each optical array including a fixed mirror and a plurality of independently tiltable mirrors, at least one input port for launching a beam of light into the optical switch, said input port being disposed within a respective optical array, at least two output ports for selectively receiving a beam of light from an optical path between the at least one input port and a selected one of the at least two output ports, said at least two output ports being disposed within a respective opposed optical array, and an ATO element having optical power disposed between the pair of opposed optical arrays. The pair of opposed optical arrays is disposed in respective focal planes of the ATO element. Preferably, the ATO element has a focal length equal to a Rayleigh range of a beam of light incident thereon.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An optical switch comprising: a pair of opposed optical arrays, each optical array including a fixed mirror and a plurality of independently tiltable mirrors; at least one input port, disposed within one of the optical arrays, for launching a beam of light towards the fixed mirror in other optical array, which redirects the beam of light for multiple passes between the tiltable mirrors in both optical arrays to the fixed mirror in the one optical array; at least two output ports, disposed within the other optical array, for selectively receiving the beam of light from the fixed mirror in the one optical array; and an ATO element having optical power disposed between the pair of opposed optical arrays for directing the beam of light during each pass between the optical arrays.
2. The optical switch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the pair of opposed optical arrays is disposed in respective focal planes of the ATO element.
3. The optical switch as defined in claim 2 , wherein the ATO element has a focal length approximately equal to a near zone length or Rayleigh range of a beam of light incident thereon.
4. The optical switch as defined in claim 2 , wherein the at least one input port and the at least two output ports are optical bypasses for allowing a beam of light to pass through a respective one of the pair of opposed optical arrays.
5. The optical switch as defined in claim 4 , wherein the pair of opposed optical arrays, the at least one input port, the at least two output ports, and the ATO element are disposed about an optical axis of the ATO element.
6. The optical switch as defined in claim 5 , wherein the fixed mirror of each of the pair of opposed optical arrays is positioned along the optical axis of the ATO element.
7. An optical switch comprising: a plurality of input ports for launching beams of light into the optical switch; a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving the beams of light from the input ports; an angle-to-offset(ATO) element having optical power for performing an angle-to-offset transformation, said ATO element being disposed for redirecting the beams of light traveling between the input ports and the output ports; a first plurality of independently tiltable deflectors and a second plurality of independently tiltable deflectors for switching the beams of light via the ATO element; a first fixed deflector for receiving the beams of light from each input port via the ATO element, and for deflecting each beam of light to one of the first plurality of independently tiltable deflectors via the ATO element, and a second fixed deflector for receiving each beam of light from the second plurality of independently tiltable deflectors via the ATO element, and for deflecting each beam of light to a selected output port via the ATO element.
8. The optical switch as defined in claim 7 , wherein the ATO element has a focal length approximately equal to a near zone length or Rayleigh range of a beam of light incident thereon.
9. The optical switch as defined in claim 8 , wherein the input ports, the output ports, the ATO element, the first plurality of deflectors, and the second plurality of deflectors are disposed about an optical axis of the ATO element.
10. The optical switch as defined in claim 9 , wherein each beam of light is redirected five times by the ATO element between one of the input ports and a selected one of the output ports.
11. The optical switch as defined in claim 9 , wherein the first plurality of deflectors and the second plurality of deflectors are disposed on a first MEMS chip and a second MEMS chip, respectively; and wherein the input ports and the output ports are disposed at optical bypass regions of the first and the second MEMS chip, respectively.
12. The optical switch as defined in claim 7 , wherein the ATO element is one of a focusing lens, a GRIN lens, and a concave mirror.
13. The optical switch as defined in claim 7 , wherein the ATO element is a concave mirror; and wherein the first and second fixed deflectors comprises a single fixed mirror.
14. The optical switch as defined in claim 13 , wherein the input ports, the output ports, the first plurality of deflectors, the second plurality of deflectors, and the single fixed mirror are disposed adjacent each other remote from the concave mirror.
15. An optical switch comprising: a plurality of input ports for launching beams of light into the optical switch; a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving the beams of light from a plurality of optical paths between the input ports and the output ports; an angle-to-offset (ATO) element having optical power for performing an angle-to-offset transformation, said ATO element being disposed for redirecting the beams of light traveling between the input ports and the output port; and a first array of tilting deflectors and a second array of tilting deflectors for switching each beam of light from one of the input ports to a selected one of the output ports, and a fixed deflector, which receives each of the beams of light from the input ports via the ATO element for directing the beams of light to the first array of tilting deflectors, and which receives the beams of light from the second array of tilting deflectors via the ATO element for directing each beam of light to the selected output port; wherein each beam of light is redirected five times by the ATO element when switching between the input ports and the output ports.
16. The optical switch as defined in claim 15 , wherein the ATO element comprises a concave mirror.
17. The optical switch as defined in claim 16 , wherein the input ports, the output ports, the first plurality of deflectors, the second plurality of deflectors, and the fixed deflector are disposed adjacent each other in a focal plane of the concave mirror.
18. The optical switch as defined in claim 17 , wherein the fixed deflector is disposed along an optical axis of the concave mirror; wherein the first plurality of deflectors and each of the input ports are disposed on opposite sides of the fixed deflector; wherein the second plurality of deflectors is disposed adjacent to the first plurality of deflectors; and wherein the output ports are disposed adjacent to each of the input ports.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 30, 2004
May 2, 2006
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